National stakeholders' consensus to optimise research awareness through mandatory induction training using the Nominal Group Technique: the INTRO project.

Background: Research provides the agency for step-change and improvement in health care. Research is, however, often viewed as disconnected from, or irrelevant to, everyday healthcare delivery. Mandatory induction training for new healthcare staff offers a means to increase research awareness and promote wider integration of research in practice.

Method: This study reports findings from an adapted version of the Nominal Group Technique, as the initial planning stage of a quality improvement project. The aim was to identify recommendations for raising research awareness within mandatory corporate, clinical, and local induction. Nationwide stakeholders representing patients and professional groups from numerous organisations were invited to participate in three online consultations workshops, during which suggestions for mandatory induction training were generated and distilled.

Results: Sixty-seven stakeholders from 37 tertiary, community, and mental health organisations in England participated in the workshops. Of the initial 307 candidate items proposed, 20 (6.3%) achieved consensus. Core recommendations included: (i) concise, bite-sized, high-quality videos for mandatory corporate induction; (ii) a blend of resources (PowerPoint templates, interactive online modules, signposting websites) for mandatory clinical and local inductions; (iii) clear delineation between research and quality improvement projects; and (iv) recommendations about delivery responsibility and governance.

Conclusion: Recommendations developed from the final 20 candidate items provide a coherent framework for raising research awareness in mandatory induction training. They are designed to be integrated into mandatory induction, promoting staff-awareness and, ultimately, contributing to the advancement of research and improving patient outcomes. Further work is in progress to implement and evaluate these recommendations, as part of a Plan-Do-Study-Act quality improvement cycle.